If you plan to be in Hawai’i at the end of Sept/beginning of October, please consider attending the 4th conference of the European Ecopsychology Society.

It’s being held in Hawai’i instead of Europe this year because this year’s conference chair is now a resident of Nechung Temple, a retreat center on the Big Island that some Naropa folk tell me is a favorite of the Dalai Lama.

The conference theme is “Waha Pono: Learning to Do What’s Right.” And I’m giving the keynote address. (Gulp.) They’ve asked me to talk about teaching ecopsychology.

As I suffer from a bit of “impostor syndrome,” my first response upon being asked to keynote was to wonder, “Why on earth do they want me?!” I mean, after all, there are many more famous people around. So figuring that life is short so why not be gutsy while we can, I asked. The response was this:

I think having you do this is PONO at so many levels. …It offers an excellent opportunity for the folks interpreting and implementing “ecopsychology” a unique (in your case, triple) perspective… Mostly, because you are personable, knowledgeable, and wise, and your energy is contagious.

So okay! I think basically what he’s saying is that I won’t be boring. –I can handle that. They’ve given me a long session, and my goal is for it to be both deep and fun.

Three of my former students will also be there – and also presenting! I’m very much looking forward to reconnecting with Melissa Edwards, Danielle Richardson and Kaikea Blakemore, with my beloved colleague-friends Jorge Conesa-Sevilla and Julianne Skai Arbor, and with that beautiful Big Island ‘aina (land), which has been one of my greatest teachers.

This trip is my big ecological footprint splurge; the first such in many years. The irony of flying to discuss ecological issues does not escape me. But joining together with like-minded souls to forge deep and lasting connection seems worth it. Once in awhile. With attention paid to much more simple living on either end of that time to balance it out somewhat.

People are coming from all over the world. Perhaps you will be one of them?

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